Eight Year Old Boy Learns To Drive Watching YouTube And Takes His Sister To McDonalds

When you have a hankering for a cheeseburger from McDonald's, the solution is simple—you hop in your car and go get one. There is nothing unusual about that, unless we're talking about an 8-year-old child jumping behind the wheel and escorting his sister to the golden arches for a bite to eat. Then it would be unusual. It also describes what went down in East Palestine, Ohio, the other day.

Police say the hungry 8-year-old grabbed the keys to his family's van and puttered down to the local McDonald's, with his 4-year-old sister sitting in the passenger seat. Apparently the kid does not have an Uber account, but who needs one when you have access to YouTube? The streaming site that is home to practically every kind of video under the sun is where he learned how to drive.

Image Source: YouTube

"Me and my sister really wanted a cheeseburger," the 8-year-old told Jake Koehler, the responding officer on the scene.
Learning how to drive is one thing, but actually doing it is another. The Ohio boy had to stand on its tiptoes just to jam the keys in the ignition. He was then off and running in the family van. Getting to his delectable destination involved making a right turn and going through no less than four intersections. Remarkably, the kid avoided any collisions, stopping at every traffic signal and waiting patiently for each light to turn green.

When he finally arrived and cruised into the drive-through, the employees behind the window thought it was a prank. However, there was no sign of any parental supervision—they did not see any adults in the back of the van as they expected.

"It is kind of funny," said Regis Steiner of East Palestine. "But being a parent, it would be kind of scary knowing your 8-year-old son went down through the middle of town and took his 4-year-old sister in your van."

Others in the area remarked how impressive it was that he was able to motor his way to McDonald's without getting into an accident.

"Honest to God, I've been a patrolman for two years and I don't think I will have anything like this the rest of my career," Koehler said.